Method of making handbags or the like



Feb. 10, 1942.

J. N. LOWE METHOD OF MAKING HANDBAGS OR THE LIKE Filed March 8, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Jassm/ /V. [an 5.

ATTORNEY a ma H 3 sheets-sheet 2 Filed March 8, 1941 INVENTOR L/OJZPH /V. lows.

I ATTORNEY Feb. 10, 1942. J. N. LOWE METHOD OF MAKING HANDBAGS OR THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 8, 1941 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 10, 1942 STATES PATENT @Fi'F'iQE METHOD OF MAKING HANDBAGS OR THE LIKE 10 Claims.

This invention relates more particularly to methods of making handbags or the like from suitable flexible materials, and a type of handbag such as can be made under the present invention will be found in patent granted to Joseph N. Lowe, No. 1,751,936, dated March 25, 1930. The present invention relates to the method of constructing the circumambient walls of such types of bags, whether of round or rectilinear cross-section or any other desired shape, and not to the top and bottom or closing ends of the bag. Such types of handbags are desired by many users because they are not only light in weight, but are very strong, considering the materials from which the walls thereof are made.

Objects of the hereindescribed method are to manufactur such types of bags in a cheaper manner than heretofore, and particularly to obtain accuracy in combining and sewing together the flexible materials for the bag. Furthermore, to provide a complete circumambient wall which is taut on the outer surface, thus avoiding unsightly bulges. Also, to avoid the use of adhesives such as are employed in bags imitating such bags of better quality and materials. Furthermore, no expert worker is necessary, as with some slight instruction unskilled labor may perform the work. 1

One of the important specific objects obtained is that a stiffer bead is formed at the mouth of the bag than heretofore and which is located inbetween the lining and the peripheral band of the surrounding wall of the bag, such bead holding in place the edges of the sheet material,

such as stiff cardboard, which is used to reinforce the bag, and the bead, being stiffer than usual, serves as a sure guide for the stiifening sheets when they are inserted inbetween the bag lining and the peripheral band. This relatively stiff bead overcomes the tendency of the stiffening sheets to twist, tear or disarrange the lining when inserted. Such bead also imparts neatness to the bag directly around th mouth thereof, at the free edge of the circumambient wall which accepts the cover of the bag when invention may be more drawings, of carrythe same ric, the highly finished surface of which eventually becomes the outer surface of the peripheral band of the bag body;

Fig. 2 is a broken elevation of a hemmed strip of fabric which ultimately becomes a lining of the bag body;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of Fig. 2 on line 33;

Fig. 4 is a broken elevation showing the strip of Fig. 2 laid onto the finished face of the strip of Fig. 1, the strips being in oifset relation;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view of a brokenaway fragment of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a broken elevation showing a binding stitched to portions of the lengths of both strips when they are in the offset relation as shown in Fig. 4; parts being turned back for clearness;

Fig. '7 is an enlarged transverse section of Fig. 6 on line 7-4;

Fig. 8 shows an enlarged portion of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a broken elevation similar to Fig. 6, showing th thread of one of the heme of the hemmed strip as being unraveled;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary view, wherein the two strips have been slit a somewhat greater length than in Fig. 4, but after the said thread has been unraveled;

Fig. 11 is a broken elevation showing the thread of aforesaid hem as having been removed so as to be able to spread the unbound portion of the strip of lining to its full width, as shown by the ends of both strips at the right-hand end of the figure;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged transverse section on the line I2l2, Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is a broken elevation showing the lining strip in dotted lines as having been folded over onto the back of the other strip to expose the finished outer face of the latter, and the previously remaining unbound edges of the strips stitched together;

Fig. 14 is an enlarged section on line 14-44, Fig. 13, with the previously bound edges of the strips between the strips;

Fig. 15 is a broken elevation wherein the positions of the strips have been reversed end for end, with the lining strip in front;

Fig. 16 is a broken elevation showing one end of the binding inserted through a slit in the lining strip;

Fig. 17 differs from Fig. 16 only in that the other end of the binding is stitched inbetween the two strips, the previously projecting portions of both ends of the binding having been cut off Fig. 18 is a View showing the opposite ends of the ultimate peripheral band as having been stitched together;

Fig. 19 is a fragmentary elevation showing the ends of th peripherl band and lining brought together, with the ends of the band stitched across, and showing the opening in the lining through which reinforcements are to be inserted;

Fig. 20 is a broken elevation showing one of the cardboard reinforcements which is to go between the ultimate peripheral band and its lining for the bag body;

Fig. 21 is a broken elevation showing the additional cardboard reinforcement which is to go between said peripheral band and its lining;

Fig. 22 is a perspective view of the bag body as partially completed, either with or without the bag bottom; and

Fig. 23 is an enlarged transverse section on the line 23-23, Fig. 22.

Referring to Fig. 1, the strip 25 of flexible material, such as a fine grade of oilcloth or other waterproof fabric, sometimes called imitation leather, will ultimately constitute the peripheral band of the bag body. This strip is to be cut to the required length, which depends upon the size of the bag which is to be made. Its width corresponds substantially with the ultimate transverse dimension of the circumambient wall of the bag. One edge of the strip 25 is provided near one end with a slight transverse slit 26, and near the other end with a similarly slight transverse slit 26a, these slits being located at equal distances from the end edges of the strip 25. These slits may be cut by dies or by hand shears, care being taken not to make them longer than is required, as wil lappear from the description herein.

In Figs. 2 and 3, a strip 21 of lining material is shown, such material being preferably colored or figured woven fabric of attractive appearance, which is to constitute the lining of the ultimate bag, and corresponds somewhat in proportions to that of the strip 25, except that while it is originally of greater width than the strip 25, it is made of somewhat less width by providing a hem 28, a temporary stitching 29 along one running edge, and a hem 30 and its stitching 3| along the other running edge. The hem 28 is made wider than the hem 30, and the hem 28 is stitched by chainstitch 29 or the like, which is adapted to be readily removed when desired, while the stitching 3| may be either a lock or a chain stitch. Both of the hems 28 and 30 are formed on the same surface of the lining strip 21 so as to face in the same direction. When desired, the hems may have the same width as hem 28.

Having provided strips such as 25 and 21, they are preferably combined and assembled together in the manner now to be described. Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, the lining strip 21 is placed upon the surface 32 of the strip 25, which surface is that surface of the strip 25 which ultimately becomes the finished outer surface of the circumambient wall of the bag; that is, it is preferably the highly finished surface of the flexible material which is to be used for the outer covering of the bag. The person who is doing the work must note that the lining edge formed by the hem 28 coincides with the adjacent edge of the strip 25, and that the two strips are in ofiset relation endwise, thereby leaving an overlapping endportion 33 for strip 25 at one end of the assembly,

and an overlapping portion 34 of strip 21 for the other end of the assembled strips. Such as sembled relation may be accomplished by hand work, although it is conceivable that it may be accomplished by a suitable assembling machine.

Again referring to Figs. 4 and 5, the worker having seen that the two strips are laid the one on the other in the relative position shown in Fig. 4, makes a very slight transverse incision 35 in the hemmed edge 28 of the lining strip 21, which incision is made in registry with the incision 26a in the strip 25, as more clearly shown in Fig. 5. The operator must take care that the incision 35 is of no greater length than the incision 26a, inasmuch as it must not cut through the stitching of the hem 28. (The circle inscribed on Fig. 4 is merely a graphic one to indicate where the enlargement shown in Fig. 5 is taken.)

After the strips 25, 21 have been assembled together, the operation of stitching together the two strips 25, 21 takes place, and the result is shown in Figs. 6 and 7. To obtain the best results the worker makes use of a suitable sewingmachine, which is adapted to provide a straight line of stitching. Before the machine is operated, the worker places a suitable patch of cloth 36 back of the strip 25, the patch being slitted similarly to the strip 25 as at 25, so that the slit of the patch registers with the slit 26. At the same time the worker takes a proper length of binding 31, and holding one end of the patch while gathering it up together with the adjacent edge-portions of the two strips 25, 21, the worker forms a line of stitching 38 along the turned-over edge-portions of the binding and the adjacent edge-portions of the patch 36 and the two strips 25, 21, thereby binding the two strips together for the proper distance along their edges.

This line of stitching 38 is run parallel with the line of stitching 29 of hem 28, and while doing the stitching the operator takes care that short projecting ends of the binding are manipulated so that the line of stitching of the binding will be formed between the slits 26, 26a in the strip 25, so that the stitching 38 does not cross the location of the said slits 26, 28a. Fig. 8 shows on an enlarged scale about the way the operator should gather up and handle the material at 39 adjacent the slit 26 so that the stitching 38 will not stitch the material together beyond the said slit 26. The distance along the edges of said strips which are bound together by the binding 31 corresponds with the distance along the mouth of the bag, such as shown in aforesaid patent, at which are arranged the hookless fastenings or the like for securing the cover to the body of the bag. At 40 in Fig. 6 is shown more or less the manner in which that end of the binding and the edges of the two strips should be manipulated in 'order to avoid stitching the material together past the slit 26a.

In Fig. 9 the bound-together strips are shown as in Fig. 6, with one exception. As before stated, the stitching 29 is not intended to be permanent, as the thread is removable, more or less like a basting thread. At this point in the method the thread 29 is removed, a hand of the operator being indicated in the act of removing the thread for the entire length of the hem 28. This is done for two reasonsto leave a portion of the length of the strip 21 with such a hem, and to subsequently enable that portion of the length thereof which had the hem 28 to be spread out so that the fabric of the strip 21 will have its full width except for the very narrow hem at the opposite edge of the strip. To accomplish this result the worker cuts into the lining strip 25 to lengthen the slit 35 therein to a point 35a, thereby producing an extended length of slit, which passes beyond the line of the original stitching 29, which stitching had been removed before the length of slit 35 was extended. The real result thus accomplished is that a length of the original hem 28 may be extended at 28a beyond the binding 3'1, which does not bind that length of the original hem 28, as shown in Figs. and 11. The only difference between Fig. 7 and Fig. 12 is that the latter shows that the stitching 29 has been removed from the hem 28, Fig. 12 to be considered with Fig. 11.

In the next step in the method, the relation of the two strips 25, 21 to each other is changed, that is to say, the lining strip 21, which had been in contact with the surface 32 of strip 25, is swung around against the other surface of the strip 25, which other surface is that surface of the strip 25 which is to be presented inwardly of the bag, as the surface 32 of the strip 25 is to become the outer finished surface of the circumambient wall of the bag.

Figs. 13 and 14 show the changed relation of the two strips 25, 21 to each other; that is, the lining strip 21 is back of the other strip When the strips are in this reversed position, the worker uses a proper sewing-machine to form another line of stitching ii. Before this line of stitching is run, or rather, during the operation of stitching, the worker stretches or adjusts the lining strip 21 so that the edge thereof having the hem 3'3 is located coincident with the adja cent free edge of the strip 25 or ultimate peripheral band. The line of stitching M is to be run parallel with the previously bound edges of the two strips and for a restricted distance, that is, not as far as the left-hand end of strip 21 shown in dotted lines, and also not as far as the righthand end of the strip 25 shown in full lines, as shown in Fig. 13. By thus restricting the length of the line of stitching H, a short unstitched length 42 and a short unstitched length :13 are respectively formed at one end of the strip 25 and one end of the strip 21.

When the strips 25, 2'! are in the position shown in Figs. 13 and 14, the previously described binding 31, as well as the bound edges of the strips, will be turned in between the two strips, thereby providing an inner bead or rib M, which is adapted to form a guiding channel between itself and the strip 25, for the purpose to be hereinafter described. The adjacent edge-portion of the strip 25 is also turned inwardly to form a fold 65 at the edge of strip 25.

In Fig. the assembled strips as shown in Fig. 13 are in a reversed position end for end, that is to say, the lining is shown in Fig. 15 as over the strip instead of under it, as in Fig. 13, and this is done for the purpose of showing the appearance of the assembled strips viewed directly towards the lining strip, and portions of the lining have been shown as turned back in order to more clearly disclose the ends of the binding 3'! and the patch 36, the said patch now being between the two strips.

The next step in the method is shown in Fig. 16, which is to bend the projecting ends 31a, 31b of the binding strip outwardly so that their innermost edges will coincide with the adjacent edges of the strip where the cuts 25, 260. were formed. The projecting end 31a of the binding lies between the adjacent portions of the two strips, while the projecting end 37b is now inserted through a diagonal cut 46, which had previously been made in the lining strip by the worker, so that said projecting end 3??) lies against the inner surface of the strip 21 and not between the two strips, as does the projecting end 310.. After the parts are in the condition shown in Fig. 16, the worker produces a short line of stitching 41, as shown in Fig. 17, which extends transversely of the two strips but longitudinally in the end 31a of the binding. Such stitching extends past the binding so as to directly stitch together the two strips along a line below the binding to form a stop to be described. The ends 3111, 31b are now trimmed so as to substantially coincide with the maximum width of the assembled parts.

After these steps in the method, the operator stitches together the end edges of the strip 25 by a line of transverse stitching 58, as shown in Fig. 18. The formation of this line of stitching 38 is permitted by reason of the fact that the worker can turn back that short portion of the free end 42 of the strip 25 so as not to interfere with the making of the stitching M. Then, the line of stitching ll is continued from the point ilo (Fig. 19), and across the line of stitching 43, to meet the other end of said line of stitching SL The next following step is to form a line of stitching 19 (see Fig. 19), which is to extend across the outturned end 37a of the binding around the thus formed band to stitch together the remaining longitudinal free edges of the two strips, such line of stitching crossing the other end 31b of the binding.

Before stitching across the ends of the lining strip 21 in producing the lines of stitching Ma .and $9, the operator folds the ends of said strip underneath each other, and the folds are overlapped one on the other to leave a transverse opening 55, as shown in Fig. 19.

The ultimate circumambient wall, etc., of the bag now forms a complete endless band adapted to receive stiffening or reinforcing sheets 5!, 52 shown in Figs. 20 and 21 after the entire body of the bag is completed; that is to say, after the bag has been provided with one disk side to form the bag bottom, and with another disk side, which is a part of the cover of the bag. As to the type of bag which is to be completed, reference can be had to aforesaid patent. In Fig. 22 the opposite disk sides of the bag body are not shown, that is to say, the cover and the bottom of the bag, although the stiifening sheets 5!, 52 are shown in the position which they obtain after the bag is ready to receive them. To insert the stiffening strips 51, 52 into their proper position between the lining and the peripheral band of the bag, one end of each strip is inserted through the opening 56 in the lining, and one of them forcibly pushed in one direction, and the other in the opposite direction, until their reduced ends 51a, 52a, overlap and fall underneath the line of stitching 41 (Fig. 17), which constitutes a stop, against which shoulders Eib and 52b abut and the strips can be pushed in no farther. The opposite ends of the strips are allowed to overlap for a short distance opposite the lining opening 58.

As previously described (see Figs. 14 and 23), the binding between the two strips is adapted to form a track between itself and the strip 25, this track being in the nature of a groove. When the stiffening strips 5|, 52 are being inserted into position, their corresponding edges enter such groove and are snugly and neatly guided therein. If the material of the binding 31 had been made of the usual thin fabric there would be danger that the ends of the sliding strips would catch in the strips at opposite sides thereof and difi'lculties would be encountered, especially the forced wrinkling, gathering or tearing of the material. However, it is preferred under the present method that such binding be made of a tape of suitably strong woven fabric, which is inherently stiffened in some such way as is the strip which forms the peripheral band of the bag. By thus stiflening the binding tape, a very sure track or groove is provided between the two strips of material so as to positively and not uncertainly guide the edges of the stiifening strips.

In Fig. 22 the lower portion 53 of the endless band is where the fastenings for the cover are to go, and the higher portion 54 is where the cover of the bag is to be hinged.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the invention shown and described is not restricted except by the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new is:

1. The method herein described, including providing a flexible strip of bag-covering material,

providing a strip for a bag lining with stitched hems along its longitudinal edges, imposing the strips on each other in longitudinally ofiset relation, securing together two coinciding longitudinal edges of both strips and leaving free the opposite edges, removing the stitching thread of the hem which is at the secured edges, reversing the relative position of the strips, and connecting the ends of the covering strip while leaving an accessible opening between the ends of the lining strip.

2. The method herein described, including providing a flexible strip of bag-covering material, providing a strip for a bag lining with stitched hems along its longitudinal edges, imposing the strips on each other in longitudinally oiiset relation, binding one longitudinal edge of one strip to the corresponding longitudinal edge of the other strip for portions of their lengths, removing the stitching thread of the hem which is underneath the binding, turning the strips over around the binding and against each other to reverse their relative position, and connecting the ends of the covering strip while leaving an accessible opening between the ends of the lining strip.

3. The method herein described, including providing a flexible strip of bag-covering material having two spaced incisions transversely cut into one edge, providing a strip for a bag lining with stitched hems along its longitudinal edges, imposing the strips on each other in longitudinally offset relation, cutting an incision in one hemmed edge of the lining strip opposite to one of said incisions, binding together the coinciding incised edges of the strips along a length corresponding with the distance between the incisions in the covering strip, removing the stitching thread of the hem which is at the bound edges, reversing the relative position of the strips, and connecting the ends of the covering strip while leaving an accessible opening between the ends of the lining strip.

4. The method herein described, including providing a flexible strip of bag-covering material,

providing a strip for a bag lining with stitched hems along its longitudinal edges, one hem wider than the other, imposing the strips on each other in longitudinally offset relation, securing together two coinciding longitudinal edges of both strips, one of the edges having the wide hem, and leaving free the opposite edges, the line of securement being outwardly away from the stitching thread of that hem, removing the stitching thread of the wide hem which is at the secured edges, reversing the relative position of the strips, and connecting the ends of the covering strip while leaving an accessible opening between the ends of the lining strip.

5. The method herein described, including providing a flexible strip of bag-covering material, providing a strip for a bag lining with stitched hems along its longitudinal edges, imposing the strips on each other in longitudinally offset relation, binding one longitudinal edge of one strip to the corresponding longitudinal edge of the other strip for portions of their lengths by running the line of the binding thread outwardly away from and parallel with the stitching thread of the bound hem, removing the stitching thread of the hem which is underneath the binding, turning the strips over around the binding and against each other to reverse their relative position, and connecting the ends of the covering strip while leaving an accessible opening between the ends of the lining strip.

6. The method herein described, including providing a flexible strip of bag-covering material having two spaced incisions transversely cut into one edge and located at substantially the same distance from the ends of the strip, providing a strip for a bag lining with stitched hems along its longitudinal edges, imposing the strips on each other in longitudinally offset relation while arranging said incised edge to coincide with one of the hemmed edges, cutting an incision in one hemmed edge of the lining strip opposite to one of said incisions, binding together the coinciding incised edges of the strips along a length corresponding with the distance between the incisions in the covering strip, removing the stitching thread of the hem which is at the bound edges, reversing the relative position of the strips, and connecting the ends of the covering strip while leaving an accessible opening between the ends of the lining strip.

'7. The method herein described, including providing a flexible strip of bag-covering material. providing a strip for a bag lining with stitched hems along its longitudinal edges, imposing the strips on each other in longitudinally offset relation, securing together two coinciding longitudinal edges of both strips and leaving free the opposite edges, removing the stitching thread of the hem which is at the secured edges, reversing the relative position of the strips, stitching together theother longitudinal edges of the strips, and connecting the ends of the covering strip while leaving an accessible opening between the ends of the lining strip.

8. The method herein described, including providinga flexible strip of bag-covering material, providing a strip for a bag lining with stitched hems along its longitudinal edges, imposing the strips on each other in longitudinally offset relation, stitching a binding longitudinally over corresponding longitudinal edges of the strips for portions of their lengths, removing the stitching thread of the hem which is underneath th binding, turning the strips over around the binding and against each other to reverse their relative position, and connecting the ends of the covering strip while leaving an accessible opening between the end of the lining strip.

9. The method herein described, including providing a flexible strip of bag-covering material having two spaced incisions transversely out into one edge, providing a strip for a bag lining with stitched hems along its longitudinal edges, imposing the strips on each other in longitudinally offset relation, cutting an incision in one hemmed edge of the lining strip opposite to one of said incisions, binding together the coinciding incised edges of the strips along a length corresponding with the distance between the incisions in the covering strip and leaving the endsof the binding strip as projections, removing the stitching thread of the hem which is at the bound edges, reversing the relative position of the strips, stitching th projecting ends of the binding to the strips to extend transversely thereof to their adjacent providing a flexible strip of bag-covering material having two spaced incisions transversely out into one edge, providing a strip for a bag lining with stitched hems along its longitudinal edges, imposing the strips on each other in longitudinally offset relation, cutting an incision in one hemmed edge of the lining strip opposite to one of said incisions, binding together the coinciding incised edges of the strips along a length corresponding with the distance between the incisions in the covering strip and leaving the ends of the binding strip as projections, removing the stitching thread of the hem which is at the bound edges, reversing the relative position of the strips,

cutting a slit in the lining strip at a point adja- JOSEPH N. LOWE. 

